Redemption
by dethomas
Summary: After the war goes wrong and the bijuu walk the Earth, destroying everything in their path, life is all about survival for Sasuke and Naruto. After a strange fight with one of the tailed beasts leaves Naruto missing, Sasuke is stranded in his own past. But with the help his old friends, maybe he can find Naruto and give them the Team 7 they all deserved. Time travel AU; Sasu/Naru.
1. Chapter 1

The sky has been dark for ages now, plumes of black smoke blanketing the trees and ground in ash. Sasuke shakes the debris from his hair, pulling the hood of his cloak around his head, and he scans the forest for any sign of a chakra signature. He breathes slowly, careful and deliberate in his movements. Since the loss of the war and the subsequent disintegration of most other hidden villages, Sasuke had learned how important it is to be careful. Maybe when he was younger he would've thought the near-compulsive and paranoid control he's displaying now was out of fear–any good ninja wouldn't miss an attacker approaching, on guard or not. His lips twitch at the thought. How naive he was.

Things had changed since then. Nothing was as it used to be since the war had begun in earnest. The attacks had started small–a fishing town here lost its ports, an outlying village there ransacked and lost their crops. The events seemed small, near random, and when the remaining villagers asked entrance into Konoha proper, the Hokage saw no reason to refuse the refugees. Tsunade dispersed ninja to the outer villages and offered protection to the civilians in places that had no ninja aid. She couldn't have known these events were linked–no one knew. With the Akatsuki on the move, holding powerful bijuu in their grips, all types of petty criminals had emerged from the tense environments. That was the effect of war–make people frightened, back them in a corner, and they will attack. There was no reason for anybody to believe the skirmishes were more than that, especially when Konoha intelligence had pinned the location of the Akatsuki down, thought they were still plotting.

It was only after months of these small events did they have a noticeable effect on the village. Teams of ninja had been dispersed throughout the land and hundreds of refugees had moved into the Leaf, enough that even with the large size of the city, the streets were filled. Small camps were erected outside the walls, people hungry, hurting, and displaced. Some ninja teams had been dispatched for months, losing members to the criminals with skill sets too far above what their level should have been. Maybe that should have triggered a red flag, but even then their troops weren't being slaughtered–they said a lucky shot. It's incredible what one will attribute to coincidence.

The Leaf thought they had been watching the location of the Akatsuki, thought they would have time to prepare for any charging army, but no one had realized the war had been in progress for months already. Konoha's resources were spread thin–ninja of all ranks were deployed throughout the nation and they were hurt, tired. Food was becoming scarce, farming villages losing crops and seeds to fire and theft, and the city itself was struggling to feed the mouths within its walls. Like lambs to the slaughter, Konoha and its citizens had been corralled into one central location, defenses weakened in months of battle skirmishes, and the exhaustion that made everyone weary left the population like sitting ducks.

When the Akatsuki released the bijuu, it was hardly even a fight. The raw power the rouge band controlled–or, thought they controlled–would've been difficult to beat with the full strength of Konoha's impressive militia, but in the state they had been, the fight was impossible. Hundreds died in the initial attack, higher ranking ninja holding off the chakra blasts as well as they could with their forces numbered, trying to bide time to evacuate who they could to safer ground. Sasuke remembers the heat of it all, the way sweat soaked through his clothes as Konoha was consumed by fire. There's not much else he searches to remember, his memories dominated by screaming, by death, and by then it didn't matter what side anyone was on. The terror that day caused was burned into his memory, and when it was clear that the Akatsuki could not control what they unleashed, it was a matter of pure survival. No one batted an eye when he started to defend the civilians fleeing the city–any help was appreciated.

Sasuke is almost startled when familiar chakra pulses faintly to the left ahead of him, and the raven flies through the canopy silently in his direction. Naruto is the only thing that hasn't changed. No, that's not true, he corrects himself when he lands next to the blond, the branch supporting them swaying with his weight. The man next to him was not the boy he was before the war, before Armageddon happened, but utter destruction does that to a person he supposes. Naruto lays a hand on his shoulder, inclining his head to the right in front of them, and Sasuke catches a glimpse of movement.

A glance to the side and he catches Naruto's blue eyes, the only part of him visible above the mask that covers his face and under the wrap around his bright hair. A group of ninja. It's often nothing more than useless hope, but the pair had searched since the war for other people from the Leaf. Kakashi, Sakura, the rookies… There had never been any official statement of the casualties, strongholds against the bijuu only standing for a few months before they drew attention to the tailed beasts, and they either disbanded or were discovered. And even if they held, the devastation of the initial attack was too large to even comprehend, too high a tally to bother counting. Every hidden village was targeted, and every single one fell.

The world looked like the one the beasts emerged from–lit by fire and ash, inhabited by more than just the tailed beast, but chakra monsters of all types. Despite the devastation, he and Naruto kept looking. Naruto kept searching. Sasuke knows that he would've given up a long time ago if he hadn't found the blond and his endless determination, and even though it's been closing in on a decade, they kept searching for anyone they might care for. There isn't much else for them to do in any case, and without the resolve to keep looking Sasuke thinks they both would be lying in the dust by now.

Not that he'd say this, but he is endlessly grateful for the blond's presence in the past years. He knows Naruto knows this already, that he doesn't have to put it in words, but on more than one occasion he was Sasuke's saving grace. Laying a hand on Naruto's bent knee, he gives it a soft squeeze. The other man inclines his head towards Sasuke near-imperceptively, trailing his own hand to cup the back of Sasuke's neck before the feather-light touch is gone.

Sasuke brings his focus back to the group settling into camp in front of them, hardly visible in the trees and their chakras masked. Naruto stretches his neck, fingers fiddling with the kunai in their holster, and preps for battle. Even with no mal-intent, more often than not these meetings ended in fighting, the parties fidgety and panicked. Sasuke mirrors his partner, mentally logging what weaponry he still has, and settles down again under the weight of his katana strapped to his back. Together they leap, landing simultaneously in the dirt. They don't try to surprise the group but stay on edge, muscles taught throughout their body. They approach with cautious steps forward.

There's only four in the group, and when they get closer Sasuke knows none of them are Konoha nin. When he slides his eyes to Naruto's profile, he knows Naruto knows this too, and a frown tugs at the mask above his lips. The disappointment is familiar to the raven, but he knows the other ninja still struggles with the losses. They're about to disengage, avoiding a surefire conflict when one of the ninja ahead of them locks on their spot, skittish and jerking to a fighting stance. The other three stand at attention when the first one barks an order at them and from the way their eyes rove over their location, Sasuke knows they're improperly trained, probably only gaining experience after the fallout.

"Who's there?" one shouts, and it's hard not to roll his eyes. "Show yourself!" Naruto sighs, but nonetheless, he changes his posture to one of casual indifference, trying to look as unobtrusive as possible. He raises his hands slightly, showing off unarmed palms, and as he steps forward, Sasuke follows like his shadow.

"We don't want a fight–" Naruto is cut short when a kunai flies in his direction, sailing over his head. The ninja are jumpy and the black-haired man wonders how they've managed to survive thus far. Two of the four charge blindly, and he and Naruto have them down but alive in seconds, stepping out from the camouflage of the trees. The blond ninja tries again to settle the opponents, but before he can utter another word, exploding tags go off in a ring around them, the noise echoing around them, smoke rising and signaling their location. Sasuke's hands are around the offending nin's throat as the last one bursts.

"What the hell are you thinking?" he hisses, eyes narrowed as he presses the ninja back against the trunk of a tree. "Do you want the bijuu to find us?" Sasuke feels Naruto's presence at his back, having already knocked the other nin of her feet, and Sasuke drops the vise grip he's maintained around the unknown ninja's neck. He sputters at Sasuke's feet, no longer a threat. Sasuke glances around, trying to listen for anything approaching, but Naruto's hand reaches for his shoulder.

"Ne, Sas, I think we need to go–" A thunderous roar breaks over the trees, followed by the cacophony of noise as animals and survivors alike flee. A bijuu is coming.

Naruto is running before the noise quiets, Sasuke hot on his heels, and the raven can hear the fumbling steps of the ninja they left behind trying to follow after them, hoping for safety. Sasuke only hopes they can find a place to hide sooner rather than later, but his wish goes unanswered when he and his partner stumble into an open clearing. They try to skirt back to the tree line, hope to stay hidden, but when Sasuke activates his sharingan, he sees the beast has already altered course, its keen eyes locked on their movements. It takes miles in a single leap and descends upon them in seconds.

Naruto summons the wind to kick up as much debris as he can, trying to blind the demon so they can make an escape but it has little effect. Sasuke then fires a katon jutsu, hoping to wound, to slow it down, but it's been years since they've fought a bijuu. They've successfully avoided the conflict, knowing the two of them, no matter how powerful, would not be able to defeat the tailed beasts alone. If they don't distract it soon, it's likely that one or both of them will die.

Sasuke grabs Naruto's sleeve before he can leap away from him and stares him dead in the eye, onyx to azure. "Don't be an idiot."

Naruto's eyes crinkle, and he pulls off his mask to shoot his partner a grin. He, too, knows this may be their last fight. "Love you, too, Sas." And then he is gone, and the beast gives them no time to spare as it launches itself towards the pair.

He and Naruto fight and dodge, twirling out of reach of the long tendrils of chakra leaking from the demon. They don't waste their time on many direct attacks, hoping instead for an opening to run, but the beast is smarter than to give them one. Deep in his heart, Sasuke knows this might be his last fight. The thought is not frightening–death has long ago ceased to be something to fear, but a common occurrence. Using his katana, he slashes at an attack coming towards him, splitting the blast down the center, and he hopes Naruto will keep looking. He hopes the blond finds someone to stay with him, protect him as Sasuke did.

No sooner than he had made his peace, Sasuke sees scalding red chakra in his periphery, too fast for even the Uchiha to defend and he braces for the impact. It hurts more than he thought it would, the air escaping his lungs with the pain, and he is flung across the clearing. He knows a gash runs the length of his side, already oozing, and had this been before the war, before the madness, a medic could've healed him. But it's not that time, not that place, and Sasuke knows he will either bleed out here, just another victim of fate, or if by some miracle they survive, the would grow infected or leave him handicapped. Sasuke presses a hand to his flesh anyway, pressing tight against the wound, and tries to find Naruto in the clearing.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the blond is already racing over, trying to intercept the blast of strange white chakra forming in the mouth of the beast. Sasuke tries to tell him to stop, it's no use, to save himself, but the idiot has that look of determination on his face, determined to be a martyr. Naruto gathers what's left of his own power reserve, calling on the beast still within him, and creates a barrier they both know will do nothing against the free power of the attacking bijuu. There is no fear in Naruto's eyes either when their gazes meet, and they wait for the shrieking blast to come.

The last thing Sasuke expects to do is wake up. His side is throbbing, still oozing sluggish red blood, and his katana lays beside his body. It is his instinct to look for Naruto first, for the familiar figure bent over a small fire making dinner or suspended in a branch on watch. It's unnerving when he can't see the blond immediately, almost disturbing when he gets no acknowledgment when he calls Naruto's name. Sasuke hisses when he props himself upright, groaning as he stands, and he lets himself pant and lean against the trunk of a tree. When he looks to the sky, he is started by how clear it is, how blue it is, and he gathers that the time is around midday. He's been out for an entire night and morning, more sleep than he's had in years.

With still no sign of the blond, Sasuke begins to walk, heading towards what looks like a main path, but he stops short when he hears voices. He is in no shape to fight, so he sits in silence, watching until he can start to make out the forms of people traveling on the road. Only seconds pass until his breath catches in his throat, eyes growing wide. If it weren't for the pain, Sasuke would've figured he had died in that fight based on what he is seeing now.

"Naruto?" He doesn't mean to say it, but the group turns to face his location, drawing kunai from their pouches. Sasuke stumbles out of the underbrush, gait uneven and he sways on his feet. The faces of team seven, his genin team, stare back at him, unblinking. The blond he's grown used to, come to love, stares back at him, fifteen or so years younger than Sasuke had left him. There is no way he is seeing what he thinks he is, thinks maybe the beast cast some sort of genjutsu, so he lets his sharingan swirl.

The gasps from the team seem genuine, and he can't see the chakra if it is a genjutsu, so Sasuke is left with only one answer: this was his genin team. That was himself, staring back at him, dumb and thirteen, and somehow he had been transported back in time.

"Who are you?" the younger Uchiha asks, anger seeping into his voice at the sight of his own kekkei genkai. Sasuke can't help but chuckle at the absurdity, energy leaving him and he crumples to his knees.

"He's injured," he hears Sakura say, but his eyes have fallen shut, exhausted. Hands grab his shoulders and lead him to lean back against a tree.

"You need to tell us your name, and we will take you to the Leaf village." Sasuke laughs again and he must look insane, chuckling at the sight of a genin team, emerging from the wood half-dead already.

"What, Kakashi-sensei, you don't recognize your own student?" Sasuke peels open an eye to watch his old teacher's reaction, but the man's eyes only widen, then narrow a fraction in confusion and suspicion. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke, and it seems I might be a little lost."

He's only awake long enough to hear the started gasps of his younger teammates and the beginnings of their protests, but before sleep claims him, Sasuke sees the gates of Konoha looming in front of him, standing for the first time in a decade.


	2. Chapter 2

When Sasuke wakes, he blearily opens an eye only to slam it shut again, groaning at the sharp pain from the bright lights. It takes him a moment to regain his bearings, to remember there hasn't been electricity in ages, and he forces himself out of his stupor, tensing when he doesn't recognize his surroundings. White walls face him, boring and bare, and a steady beep beep to his left counts the seconds it takes him to remember how he got here. He is aching, side shooting with pain the longer he remains at attention and Sasuke knows he wouldn't be able to stand for long if he tried. Then his eyes catch the view outside the window and it all comes rushing back.

I'm in Konoha. I'm alive. I'm a decade in the past. The heart monitor spikes, his heart and mind racing with what exactly that means for him, and he reclines back into the hospital bed. The feeling of the simple luxury makes his heart clench, and his chest aches for an entirely new reason. He never thought he'd miss something like this, but when he considered a pillow a luxury, he was confronted with the unfairness of the life he'd been dealt, the life Naruto had been dealt.

The blond's name in his thoughts jerk is mind into overdrive, remembering he hadn't found his partner before he collapsed. Is Naruto alive? Is he here? What had happened to send Sasuke–and Naruto, he decides, because the idiot had to be here and Sasuke wouldn't accept it any other way–back to this time, this place? The heart monitor begins to beep faster again, and in a moment a nurse timidly opens the door, peeking her head inside. Sasuke's eyes lock on her, trying to assess whether or not she's a threat, until he sees an ANBU guard stationed outside his door. The raven knows the special ops work in pairs, though, if not more, and assumes there's at least another guard outside his room. He's on lockdown, it seems, but he isn't handcuffed. They don't consider him an immediate danger, so he'll count that as a good sign.

"It's good to see you're awake, mister, um–" the nurse glances at him, then at the chart again, and he assumes she is just as confused about the situation as he is, but he doesn't bother to help her. With another quizzical glance, she continues checking his vitals, knowing her place within the ranks well enough not to ask any further questions about the name listed. She fills a glass of water and hands it to him. Sasuke drinks greedily.

He flinches when her hands reach to move the blanket back from his chest and she hesitates, like she's calming a caged animal, and during the stare-off Sasuke realizes she only wants to inspect his bandages and the throbbing wound on his side. He relaxes, but keeps a keen eye on her and her hands. The bandages are clipped from around his chest quickly, and he sits up to let her take the bandages. The gauze is next, peeling it off of his skin, and Sasuke's black eyes widen when he looks at what should have been a festering and red wound. Instead the gash has been reduced to an angry pink line, the muscles and skin still bruised around it, but the healing is far further along than overnight should have been. He's about to ask when the nurse speaks first, deftly rewrapping the injury.

"The Hokage has requested to be informed when you wake and will be in to see you shortly," the woman says quietly yet politely as she disappears from the room. Sasuke watches her say something to the ANBU member, who disappears in a poof of smoke.

The black-haired ninja doesn't have to wait long for his door to open again, the long white robes of the Hokage ghosting along the linoleum flooring. Sarutobi Hiruzen stares back at him, and while Sasuke had never really interacted with the man while he lived in the village, it was still odd to see him alive again, having seen the man be struck down. The Hokage dips his hat in Sasuke's direction, an informal acknowledgement, and Sasuke returns the gesture. The man looks older than he remembers him being, but maybe Sasuke is just more aware of the Hokage's burden now than he was when he was a child. Sarutobi pulls a chair from the wall and sits, removing his hat to place it in his lap.

"Well, it seems this is quite an interesting situation, Mr. Uchiha," the older man begins. "We've been trying to figure out how you got here, and why, but until a few days ago, no one had even known time travel existed."

Sasuke's mind latches onto a few words that had fallen from Sarutobi's mouth, and he frowns, eyebrows furrowed. "A few days?" he questions.

The Hokage inclines his head once more. "You've been out for just over three days now."

Panic surges through Sasuke's body and his breath catches in his throat. Three days was too long to be here, not when he didn't know where Naruto was, what state the blond was in. Is he hurt? Is he bleeding out somewhere in the Konoha forests thinking Sasuke would find him and he never did? Sasuke peels the sheets from his body. "I need to go, I have to find Naruto–"

The Hokage stops him with a raised hand, and Sasuke's immediate halt is an instinct ingrained into him. "So Naruto came with you?" Sarutobi inquires, looking unfazed by Sasuke's urgency. The raven doesn't bother answering–the question was more of a statement anyway. Touching the grey beard at his chin, Sarutobi hums in acknowledgement.

"Is he here?" The man shakes his head at Sasuke's question.

"After Team 7 brought you back to the city, a squad was sent to the location you were found. The team reported sensing that the area was soaked in chakra residue, meaning whatever brought you back to this time required an immense amount of energy." Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at him, shooting an inquisitive glance to the man. "Exactly how did you get here?" Sasuke doesn't answer, waiting for more information. The Hokage sighs and continues. "The team tracker and the nin-dogs searched the area, following any leads they could, but no other human scent was found. But you say Naruto was with you?"

Only then does Sasuke nod, digesting the new information. It's not what he was hoping to hear, but it was useful nonetheless, knowing finding his blond would be more than just a walk back into the Konoha forests. "Yes, he is. Or at least he was in the same burst of energy that brought me here, so yes, he will be." The Hokage narrows his eyes in question at Sasuke's phrasing. The raven only deliberates a moment before deciding to tell the Leaf leader the truth, detailing the fight with the bijuu, and eventually the full rundown of what Konoha has turned into in the last fifteen years. Sasuke knows that, in order to find Naruto, who could have been dropped anywhere in the elemental nations if Sasuke's random location meant anything, he would need the resources of the village backing him and a team to search. He leaves the more personal details out, but relays the most pertinent information as if it were just another report, like Sasuke was returning from an extended mission and not as if his whole life had disintegrated into madness and war. The lines aging the Hokage's face seem to deepen, and Sarutobi's weathered face creases with sorrow, but hardens into acceptance. It was better to be informed than ignorant of the coming hardships.

Then the older man nods, cogs in his head already spinning. "And when does this start?"

"The Chunnin exams," Sasuke responds. "Orochimaru will be there; an attack will happen." The Hokage stares Sasuke down for a long moment, maybe debating whether or not to believe him, and the raven meets his steely gaze evenly, unwavering.

"Sasuke, how much do you know about the progression of this war?"

"Near everything." Sarutobi is silent again, thinking, the only sounds in the room the steady beep beep of the monitor.

"Then I have a proposition for you, Mr. Uchiha. You stop this war from happening and you will have anything you need to find the Naruto of your timeline." The Hokage proposes the deal, rising from his chair and replacing his hat upon his head. The stance is imposing, though his voice was soft and even when he spoke. Sasuke can only stare at the man, eyebrows pinching and creasing his forehead. "That, and you can be residents of Konoha here, in this timeline, if you wish to stay."

The raven doesn't have to think long about the deal before he is nodding. Sasuke could fight an enemy easily when he already knew every step they would make. It's not like he hadn't already spent hours upon hours questioning all of the things he could have, should have done to stop the world from burning. It was a dark place he and Naruto visited often, having failed the world. Even with the hatred that had burned in his chest when he had fled the village in search of power, he never wanted destruction. He wanted justice–albeit a twisted version of it–back then, but the fallout had shaken his shallow feeling from his head, unblinding him. Now, all Sasuke wanted was peace. To rest.

Sarutobi offers a hint of a smile, inclining his head once more. "I expect a detailed timeline of the events of this uprising, and the movements of the Akatsuki as you know them. We will speak soon, but until then I will let you settle into the village," the Hokage orders, moving towards the door. "You will remain in the hospital for another night to change and dress your wound again and ensure that you have enough fluids in your system and that you are infection-free. Tomorrow morning, you will be shown to your housing." Sasuke nods, already feeling restless but he doesn't bother arguing with the man.

The Hokage rests a hand on the door handle, then pauses, looking back in the raven's direction. "Ne, Sasuke, I think it might also be a good idea to keep your future to yourself. We wouldn't want to cause any unnecessary panic." And then Sarutobi is gone, door clicking shut behind him, and Sasuke is left alone with his thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

Young Uchiha Sasuke has been just as antsy as Naruto and as short-tempered as the blond is dumb since the older black-haired sharingan wielder had appeared, stumbling bloody from the bushes. He refuses to call him by his own name, still doesn't really like the idea that that man could be him, so for now he has just been dubbed 'the stranger'. In any case, Sasuke has been distracted since the other's arrival a few days ago now, and after his team had dropped the stranger off at the hospital and reported to the Hokage, they have been kept in silence about the whole incident. It frustrates the young raven to no end, being treated like a child. He knows he deserves an explanation–the stranger was using _his _name, _his _kekkei genkai after all. Being the last Uchiha, discounting his treacherous brother, and as one of the last sharingan wielders, he knows that this is more his business than anyone else's and he's beginning to resent the Hokage for not keeping him in the loop.

Kakashi-sensei told him to be patient, to display a bit more control over his anger. '_You're acting like a toddler, throwing a tantrum,' _the silver-haired jounin had said to him after Sasuke nearly barrelled through the doors to the Hokage's office the day previously when the old man had denied the team's request to speak with him once again. Naruto's behavior had been much the same as his yesterday, and he sneered in the blond's direction when the similarities had been pointed out by their team leader.

Naruto has been almost as eager as he is, headed to the Hokage's office every day since Sasuke's double appeared, sometimes multiple times, to get a little more information about what had happened that day in the woods. The moron's interest in what is clearly more a Uchiha matter has been making the dark-haired boy's blood boil. He needs to back off and to stay out of Sasuke's business, but he wasn't getting the hint from his onyx-eyed teammate. Naruto's ability to be this incredibly dense and obtuse had earned him a furious and harsh strike from Sasuke when Naruto taunted him about the issue, and Kakashi had benched the Uchiha until he could pull it together and stay calm.

Because the idiot couldn't block a hit, Sasuke had been sent out of training like a dunce in the corner of the classroom, and he's so done with being treated like he was too young to know anything about anything. To be fair, the blond was on his feet quickly, angry and indignant, and Sasuke thought it might actually be interesting until Kakashi pulled him out, so he's more mad as his sensei for treating them like little dolls. It's how everyone has treated him since the massacre–_oh poor Sasuke, protect little Sasuke_–and he's at his wit's end. He needs to be stronger to go after his brother one day, but he feels like his progress has slowed down recently. He fumes while he watches Sakura and Naruto trade hits, the dobe gaining the upper hand rapidly around the pinkett's unsure blows until he strikes, quicker than when the team had first formed, and knocks her to the ground. The hit is good, accurate, yet the blond just looks sheepish and rubs the back of his head, apologizing profusely to his crush. The sight makes Sasuke roll his eyes and huff, shoulders hunching even more, and he glares at his teammates from where he sits beneath the shade of a tree's canopy, alone.

That's the problem with Naruto, Sasuke figures. He's too _nice. _He's gentle and afraid of hurting anything and Sasuke's sure he'll do more than punch him a little too hard if he has to hear Naruto refer to anything on their missions as _cute _or _adorable_ ever again. Though he's loath to admit it, the blond ninja has gotten so much better in the time they've been training. Their spars have gotten closer to the point that sometimes there's no clear winner, and Naruto's accuracy has improved ten-fold. But, as the raven watches Naruto extend a hand to Sakura who promptly pulls him to the ground, Sasuke knows Naruto's too weak to hurt a fly, too scared to kill someone. His happy-go-lucky attitude would get him or all of them killed because Naruto would hesitate, giving the enemy an opening to strike first. Sasuke wonders why he's the only one who seems to see it–just because the moron has some sort of charm to get him this far into his ninja career doesn't mean he should keep advancing if he's too afraid to trade serious blows. He wants to push his teammate to his limits, see what he'd do then, because maybe then it'd give Sasuke more of a challenge.

"Sasuke-kun," Kakashi calls, voice sickly sweet when he speaks the suffix, just to annoy him, "have you stopped sulking yet?" Naruto's laugh fills the training ground, and Sasuke feels his anger rise again out of embarrassment, but he grits his teeth. He won't rise to the idiot's bait because he's not as childish as his teammate, and he knows Kakashi is just testing him. Sakura tries to defend him, but it's almost worse than the blond's teasing because he sure doesn't need her to stand up for him. Sasuke rises, walking over to where the rest of his team is waiting, and tries to seem indifferent. Naruto starts to goad him, tossing a taunt to him and is ready to slide into a fighting stance when Kakashi raises his hand to stop him. "Actually, training is over for the day."

Naruto's jaw practically drops to the floor. "But _Sensei, _it's hardly midday! Can't we keep training? I feel great, I could keep going!" He punches the air, shadowboxing to prove that he's more than able to keep going, and though Sasuke rolls his eyes, he can't help but agree with him. Kakashi just points to the sky, and as the three genin look up to the bright sun, they see a hawk circling above them–the Hokage has summoned them.

_Finally. _

When three sharp raps echo against the door to the Hokage's chamber, Sasuke takes that as his cue to step to the back of the room and let the shadows wrap around his figure. He was finally cleared from the hospital this morning and he and Sarutobi had passed the morning discussing more in-depth the events of the future. It still felt surreal to him, to watch his genin self, to see faces he hasn't seen since before the Akatsuki's attack. It fills him with a deep sense of nostalgia, but he is also brutally aware that these people aren't the people he had known, still years away from being the people he had grown accustomed to. It's sobering, and he feels the weight of his own history pressing upon him, of death and carnage and loss. He hopes these people never become the ones he knew, for their sakes.

The Sandaime calls for his guests to enter, and the doors swing open to reveal Kakashi and his team. Kakashi glances in his direction immediately, aware of his presence, but gives nothing away to his charges. It's bizarre to watch and to be reminded of their younger personalities. Naruto bounds ahead, flinging himself to land sprawled over one of the armchairs in front of the large mahogany desk. His voice is higher when he shouts his usual greeting, the Hokage not even batting an eye at Naruto's blatant informalities. Sasuke knows his younger self hated that, hated Naruto's disrespect only because he envied that Naruto was allowed to be so carefree. Not that this younger Sasuke knows anything about Naruto or his life, or that the Sandaime had been the closest thing to a caretaker the blond had and it was pitiful at best. From his place in the shadows, Sasuke can see himself sneer, telling his teammate to be quiet and he feels shame seeing himself do it, knowing it is commonplace at this time for his younger self to be so cruel. The fact that Sakura chimes in her own assault at the young boy without either of the adults in the room to scold the behavior in the kids makes Sasuke realize the depth of the injustice Naruto lived through in silence. He hates that he made Naruto's life that much harder, especially when the boy didn't deserve it.

Naruto, for his part, seems unaffected besides the whine of '_Sakura-chan, not you too!'_, and Sasuke wonders if it's an act of if he's simply that used to it. "Are you gonna tell us about the second Sasuke-teme now, Jiji?" he continues when he gets no further attention from his teammates. The Hokage's face grows serious, and while he was smiling at Naruto's antics a moment ago, the atmosphere becomes tense, the blond even shifting to sit properly in the chair.

"Yes, that's why I've called you here," the old man starts, then signs heavily, too old for his position. "That man, the older Sasuke, has found himself unintentionally sent back to the past from an enemy jutsu. While we figure out where to go from here, he will be staying in the village, acting as a typical shinobi and joining your cell on missions if he isn't sent on other operations," Sarutobi explains, and while Sakura's face seems to brighten at the news–the only thing better than one Sasuke was two, afterall–Naruto's face falls. "You can think of him as a second sensei," the Hokage finishes.

"Whaddya mean he's gotta join us? One Sasuke-teme is plenty to ruin the whole day's good mood, why do we need two?" Naruto bemoans, already lamenting his good days past. Sasuke barely suppresses a chuckle–it is refreshing to see the blond so carefree. His younger self seems about ready to attack his comrade, annoyed and frustrated at the lack of information.

"How did he get here," the young Sasuke demands rather than asks, rude even when he adds the honorific after his statement. "Who sent him here, why?" Sasuke asks, at the end of his fuse about the lack of information about his _own damn self._ The Sandaime's lips twitch as Sasuke's blunt behavior but does not answer. Instead, he gestures to the back of the room.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" the Hokage counters. Sasuke considers this his entrance cue and drops the shadows from around his figure. The genin whip around to face him, various levels of shock and curiosity on their faces, while the higher-ranking nin simply nod towards him.

"Whoa…" Naruto and Sakura exhale, the uncanniness making the pair glance between their teammate and the grown man, noting all the similarities and differences between the two. Sasuke's hair had grown a tad longer, no longer standing at odd angles, but the older man kept what he could pulled back, the sides cropped shorter when the ends couldn't reach the tie that kept his hair in place. The warrior's knot makes his features seem especially sharp and dangerous, highlighting the defined angles of his jawline. Scars track marks across his skin in places the younger Uchiha still carried unblemished skin, in vital places too close a call for comfort–a thin line traces from his left temple back above his ear, barely visible through the hair now but an ugly wound then; puncture marks dot skin where senbon had lodged close to his jugular. He looks like a fighter now, the older Sasuke knows, and a threatening one at that.

"Sasuke will be staying in the Uchiha compound, either in the main house or in one of the smaller properties in the complex," the Sandaime interrupts the staredown, and the younger Sasuke whips around to face the village leader again.

"_What?_" the boy hisses, eyes alight with the same fire he controlled. "The Uchiha property isn't an inn for whoever walks through the gates–"

"No, it's not, but I have the same right as you to occupy _our_ house. _Our _name give me the same rights to it as well." It's the first time he talks, and Sasuke's younger self seethes at the challenge. The older man is unfazed though, knowing the anger stems from his fear of letting anyone in–even if it's his own damn self.

The younger Uchiha narrows his eyes, not liking that his complaints were being ignored. The raven is used to getting his way, especially when it toed around the subject of his dead family, but it's not like he could use that against himself. "Well, none of the other houses have been touched since the massacre. They would be entirely unsuitable for someone to live in with the things that have been left in them," the genin tries again, crossing his arms over his chest, tilting his chin upwards in defiance. The older Sasuke only tilts his head to the side, eyes unyielding as they bore into his own angry black eyes, and he sets his resolve. He will not let himself become as jaded and misguided as he was himself. He has the knowledge of the future at his fingertips–he will lead his own destiny this time.

"Well then we better get to cleaning out the closet, shouldn't we?" And the look on his genin counterpart's face is priceless, shock written all over his face. "I think it's about time we lay some demons to rest."


	4. Chapter 4

Sasuke knows his younger self is mad at him, not that it's hard to tell because the boy's usual callous attitude had turned completely recalcitrant, making him uncooperative and Sasuke can hardly hold back the roll of his eyes. The genin nearly had a conniption in the Hokage's office, so he knows he should've expected the disagreeable behavior, but the teen's sour mood is beginning to make his older counterpart lose his–surprisingly expansive–patience. Through the years of traveling with Naruto, Sasuke had learned the importance of waiting, watching, of doing nothing. Of keeping his emotions in check, and ruling them instead of the other way around.

The boy had looked at him strangely, maybe appreciatively, when Sasuke had asked that the rest of Team 7 stay behind, letting just the Uchiha pair return to the complex, but once they left the Hokage's office, he was once again unhelpful and silent. Naruto complained the loudest when he was told to stay behind, and Sakura looked crestfallen at the missed opportunity to see where her crush lived, but Kakashi laid a steady hand on their shoulders. The silver-haired jounin nodded at him, in his black eyes something like appreciation shone back to the Uchiha–he was thankful someone might be able to get through to his most tormented student.

Sasuke is glad that someone would be on his side for his new plan to try and get little him to not be so angry and confused because this will not be an easy fight. There is so much hatred in him that it seeps from the young boy's skin and poisons the things around him–his team, his friends, and the house more than anything. That damn house did nothing but enforce his desire to kill his brother, as it looked the same as it had the day his whole family was taken from him. It remained stuck in time as the years passed and kept Sasuke there with it, living in haunted memories. He sighs, watching the small form in front of him jump over the rooftops towards the complex.

He wishes Naruto was here–after all, the man was the one who broke Sasuke's defenses in the first place, tearing them down and showing him what was really important in the first place. The idiot and his relentless chasing after Sasuke had fled, slowly wore down on his resolve, slowly showed him someone cared, and Sasuke was already on his way back when the war started. After the first blows to the village, for once his mind was empty of revenge, thinking only NarutoNarutoNaruto. The moron couldn't die before Sasuke told him he was back. That the blond was right. He searched for days after the initial fight in the rubble until he found the blond with a few of their comrades, bruised but alive and recouping. They said nothing, but Naruto wrapped his arms around the raven, and they'd never been far apart after that–not that it was a smooth road.

When the wall around the Uchiha compound rises after the next row of rooftops, Sasuke shoves the memories aside. Naruto wasn't there, wasn't there to help break the younger's walls as he had for the older Sasuke, and the best Sasuke can do now is just hope he'd be making Naruto proud of the future he is trying to make. He can't wait to go off and find his partner, but watching the boy in front of him stop and stare at the deserted paths of his home, Sasuke knows it can wait. Knows Naruto can take care of himself, knows the blond, if he is here, is probably looking for him too, and that his broken teen needed guidance now more than Naruto would. The next few months could change the course of history.

The genin is staring off and towards the ground when Sasuke approaches, arms crossed in front of him. "I guess I don't have to show you around, you own the place too," he sneers. The older man can't stop the heavy sigh that fills the space between them. "What?" the boy snaps, glaring daggers at him.

"You don't have to be so angry at me, Sasuke," he tries to placate the teen, letting more genuine emotions take hold of his features. The older man tries to be unguarded, to show him it's okay to let others know what you're thinking and feeling. "I know how you're feeling–"

"No, you don't!" And Sasuke nearly congratulates his younger counterpart for being just as dense as Naruto. He doesn't raise his voice though, knowing the boy is just trying to make him angry to get him to leave, to stop talking and stop trying, and Sasuke breathes and calms his irritation again.

"Yes, I do." He continues before the boy can interrupt again. "I am you, I have felt all the pain you're feeling."

"Then you should know what you're making me do is wrong and insulting to the whole Uchiha clan!"

Sasuke shakes his head at the narrowmindedness the young boy is displaying, and at how obviously lost he is. "Moving on isn't erasing their memory–" A kunai flies past his head and embeds itself into a tree a few yards behind him.

"If you know everything I'm thinking then you should know there is no moving on! Especially not until he is dead!" And there it is. Uchiha Itachi and the space he left behind when he massacred the clan stands between them now, a dark stain on his past, his psyche. The young raven breathes heavy now, chest heaving with the frustration that rattled his body.

"And what will killing Itachi do? Bring our family back?" The boy glares harder, growling at Sasuke's even tone.

"It will bring justice–"

"And that will make you stop hurting?" Sasuke prods and he knows his younger self is already coming apart. He knows his own weaknesses better than anything, after all, they had been tossed back in his face more times than he could count.

"I'm not hurting–"

"Then what are you?"

"I'm angry," young Sasuke yells, "all the time!" And he sends a katon jutsu blindly towards his older self. The man deflects the blow easily, but the genin isn't paying attention. The younger teen's wild strikes spark and catch fire to the brambles and weeds that had climbed the side of the main Uchiha manor, but Sasuke dims the flames with a distracted flick of the wrist. He sends no attack of his own back to his younger self, but dodges his blows, dancing from foot to foot and ducking as the boy tries to pin him down. An angry roar escapes the genin's mouth.

"Who are you angry at, Sasuke?" he asks himself. "Itachi? Your parents, for not protecting you?" A fireball comes spinning in his direction but Sasuke disperses the flames before it reaches him.

"Everything! I hate everything!" young Sasuke cries, and his voice is cracking and shaking now. More attacks are slung towards him in the boy's rage and pain, but the man only glides from side to side, fire scorching the ground around him. His younger self is panting, huffing, and trying to hide the sorrow in what Sasuke knows is false anger.

"I hate you!" And then it is a mantra falling from young Sasuke's mouth and he flings kunai, senbon, anything he has left towards the man. The incoming weapons fly quickly, but their aim is off and Sasuke only has to really dodge a handful of them. His younger self is sloppy now, not even looking where he's throwing them. When nothing lands and his weapons pouches are empty, the boy charges his older self, aiming a lethal strike to the side of his neck.

Sasuke deflects the strike aimed to his head with a fast hand, altering its course up and away, then wraps his other hand around his younger counterparts neck, stilling the relentless and reckless movements. It is the first time Sasuke has struck back, and the boy's coal eyes widen, shining with wetness and sadness and fear. Sasuke lets the indifferent mask that covered his face when the blows started slide off, and he lets the boy see the honest pain in his eyes, the hurt that still lingers from the loss of everything he loved.

"I know you do." Then he lets the boy go, and young Sasuke drops to the ground on his knees. The older ninja doesn't miss the few tears that escape the corners of the genin's eyes, but then his small frame is running back to the house and Sasuke doesn't follow. Instead, he lets his eyes wander over the houses and buildings that dot the land around them. The lawns are overgrown, unkempt, and many of the buildings should be condemned.

He runs a hand over his face, sighing at the amount of work still ahead of him. Between Sasuke, the future, and the complex–not to mention his desire to help train his other teammates–Sasuke knows this will not be an easy road. Not that anything worth fighting for is, so he steels his resolve.

His onyx eyes catch the side of the small square guest house half-hidden behind the main Uchiha manor and weeds, and he is walking before he completely realizes it. The dry stalks of the tall undergrowth snap easily under his strikes when he clears a path to the door. He's surprised to find it unlocked, but when he pushed the door open, he finds the floor covered in an untouched layer of dust. Thinking back, Sasuke doesn't remember coming back into the small two bedroom home after the murders, then he never had a chance to return because the compound was leveled during the war. Over twenty years had passed since he had seen this place and his breath catches in his throat as he enters.

An open kitchen is to his right, looking into a once cozy living room to his left. A small dining table sits on a dull oriental rug when he pushes past the living room, posed in front of two double doors that lead to a small patio and what once was a garden. A hallway then extends back to the right, holding the doors to the bedrooms that share a wall with the kitchen. There's not too much space but it is plenty for him, comfortable, and he knows he could feel safe in the house. Sasuke then wanders back down the hall, glancing into the first room, then the second, which he picks as his own with the attached bath. There's a lot of cleaning to be done, but he throws his katana on the bed, billowing the dust that had settled into the blankets.

When it clears, his gaze falls on a picture frame poking out from beneath the bed. Bending to pick it up, he flips it over to see a much littler version of himself staring back at him, smiling in his mother's arms. Baby Sasuke is giggly in the photo, and a young Itachi smiles at his mother's side. His mom's gentle features are soft, content, and she leans her shoulder into Fugaku, his father, and he looks as happy as Sasuke has ever seen him, all poised in the garden out back. It is harder to look at then he thought it would be, sinking into the mattress, but dusting off the glass on his pants, he sets the photograph on his nightstand.

Sasuke only allows himself a few minutes to remember, though, before he rises again. He makes a mental list of all the things he would need from town, holding the money gifted from the Hokage to help settle him–and an advance on his end of the bargain–and prepares to leave. There's much work to do.


	5. Chapter 5

For the rest of the night, Sasuke only sees his younger self once, watching him in the guest house from one of the back windows of the manor, glaring, and then he is gone. Sasuke doesn't acknowledge his presence but continues his work, pulling the weeds and charred flora from Sasuke's jutsus up by their roots. The younger's wild strikes have actually helped the process go by faster, the burnt plants pliant under his hands, and by nightfall the front of the guest house is free of the vines. The rest could be finished tomorrow, he figures, and returns to the bathroom to clean himself from dirt when he is finished with the yard. His side is aching again, but the pain is softer and as he checks the wound in the mirror, Sasuke is relieved to see the injury healing nicely. The bruises have already faded to lighter yellows and browns.

The housework is the least exciting of the chores he has to do. At least with the yard Sasuke could feel the sun on his back, breeze in his hair, but home is still such a foreign concept that the structure feels almost claustrophobic. He hopes that it stops feeling like the walls are caving in as he settles in this Konoha, but he knows the new fears ingrained in him in the past years may very well stay with him for life. Deciding to only clean the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, he cuts his work in half and waits to do the rest later. It is only day two, he reminds himself, though his high alert instinct makes him putter around, straightening and cleaning compulsively, pacing with pent up energy. A difficult obstacle lies ahead of him just to learn to relax again, and he thinks about adding more windows to his house. Maybe more light, more sun and nature, will ease the transition back to society.

His earlier trip into town saw that he bought fresh foods, sheets, and cleaning supplies with an extra few pairs of clothes; enough for now, but he knows he'll have to venture back into the market in the next week. No one had recognized him, though, which he is thankful for, but he supposes no one is expecting to see the older version of the last Uchiha out in the streets either. He wonders how many people know he's there or if the entire situation is mostly under wraps but he can't find it in himself to be too concerned about it. The word will spread soon enough–especially with Sakura and Ino's mouths. He has not forgotten their gossiping. As he sets a kettle on the stove, warming water for tea, Sasuke begins fixing a quick dinner. He eats at the counter, but savors the tea, watching the sky bleed auburn to indigo, then black.

It's late by the time he manages to feel tired, the moon already high in the sky and the night owls hooting deep in the forest. Sleep had not come easy in a long time, usually only in a few hour intervals, the pressure to keep moving making he and Naruto unable to camp for more than half the night at a time. Another habit he would need to start breaking. Sasuke had long ago finished his tea, but he passes the time thinking about where to go from here.

Naruto is out there, he has to believe it, and no matter the distractions he fills his time with, he can't help but let his thoughts drift back to the blond and where he could be. Plans already float back and forth in his head, about where to look first, who to bring on tracking missions, what he'd do when they were finally together again. He sighs, untying his hair and letting it hang loose around his sharp face, walking back into the bedroom, then the bathroom. When he stares at himself in the mirror, he doesn't try to hide what he's feeling to himself, and his dark eyes soften, filling with a deep melancholic longing. Maybe he's aware somewhere that their attachment is nearly codependent, but it feels like he's been cut off from some vital need, like he'll wither away without Naruto's steady presence and understanding. When he closes his eyes, he can almost pretend when he runs his hands through his hair, it's Naruto's fingers, and he hasn't felt this lonely in a while. Sasuke drops his hands back to his sides.

_I will find you again._

Sleep comes harder than it usually does, and he tosses through most of the night half-suspended in a dream state, thinking maybe when he opens his eyes, Naruto will be staring back at him.

* * *

Sasuke is up before the sun, only a few hours after he had laid down. He doesn't complain, though, and uses the extra time before meeting the team to brew more tea, then passes the next hour stretching to loosen the tension through his body. The ability to take his time, to practice yoga and meditate and to savor the mornings is new to him. Never had he appreciated things like this, thinking the gentler things weak. As he glances out the window, sees the sun rising further in the sky, Sasuke makes a mental note to try and get his younger self to start this habit. The thought alone almost makes him chuckle, the idea of the boy actually enjoying the meditation and yoga seeming far fetched and it's still astonishing how much he's changed. It leaves a ghost of a smile on his lips as he slings his katana back across his shoulders, leaving the small house early.

He's not surprised that he is the first one to the meeting point, and knowing it will be some time before training actually commences, Sasuke makes himself comfortable sitting at the base of the bridge, leaning his back against the pillars.

Sakura approaches the bridge first, her small frame moving slowly closer. When he notices her hair is pulled back, makeup accentuating her green eyes, Sasuke can hardly stop the heavy sigh that pushes out of his nose. He closes his eyes for a long, listening to her footsteps come closer to him before he pries them open again. She stands across from him, blushing as she nervously makes eye contact with him. Sasuke forgot how much this version of the girl frustrated him, had even thought he hated her for it when he was younger, though the attention is mostly just uncomfortable and unwarranted.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun," she breathes, and when he makes eye contact with her, her cheeks only grow redder. God, he wishes she would just recognize her own worth for a moment, not depend on his approval of her. Sasuke knows this behavior stems from her own insecurities and her need to be validated, so he inhales and lets her know she is seen. This isn't about him.

"Good morning, Sakura." The way her head shoots up to look at him, features morphing to shock, makes him realize he pities her. "How are you this morning?"

She opens then closes her mouth a few times, stuttering, but Sasuke only tilts his head, trying to be as patient as possible. Finally she composes herself after a moment. "It's good," then she blushes again, glancing away. "Great, actually." Her smile is so wide and bright that he tilts his own lips upwards.

Sasuke remembers the way she had grown, how she had turned into one of the smartest, strongest medic-nins he had ever known. With it, though, also comes the intense flash of her death, how she had survived months with Sasuke and Naruto in some mockery of Team 7 before it happened. His smile turns suddenly painful, so he drops it again, and he is glad no one here had really learned how to read him yet, couldn't see the carefully hidden grief. The breeze sways Sakura's pink strands around her face, Sasuke's black hair mirroring hers, and he makes her a promise to save her this time.

"Sasuke-kun?" She asks, voice hesitant. He only hums an answer, and she takes it as a gesture to continue. "You seem different, so… friendly."

"Because I'm responding to you?" He quirks an eyebrow at her, and her face blossoms into intense redness once more–_god_, did all young girls act like that? She whips her head to the side, staring down the path where her other teammates will appear, trying to hide the burning embarrassment and shame. The raven didn't intend for her to feel that way, but he knows this is an opening. "You should know your own worth, Sakura. Expect better for yourself." Sasuke doesn't say anything more than that, but he watches her hang her head and he hopes she isn't crying. It's only after a sniffle does he sigh again–he's been doing that so much it seems. "You're very smart, Sakura, with often a good head on your shoulders. I'm not saying this to make you feel bad, I'm saying this so you stop waiting for twelve-year-old me to validate you, respect you. You make that for yourself, and someone better than me will recognize your worth without you needing to force them to," he finishes, and tucks some loose strands of his hair behind his ears. The babbling stream beneath them is the only thing chattering while she composes herself, the heartbreak already taking hold.

"So we never–?"

"No," and the word hangs between them. She won't meet his gaze. "I do value your friendship though, Sakura."

She raises her head at the comment, eyes shining with unshed tears in the early morning sun. In her green eyes, light and like the new growth in spring, the raven can tell she is hurting so he smiles softly, but it is entirely genuine. They had made their own close bond in the near year they had traveled together, and he hopes that his younger self can learn to value her and care for her like Sasuke himself did. Her shakey smile flashes back at him, and Sakura wipes her eyes of the tears that had gathered. In a show of strength and maturity, the pinkette huffs out a weak laugh.

"Is there anything else I should know about the future?" A flurry of images run past his mind–the exams, Orochimaru, the war, her _death_– but he says nothing. The girl in front of him now is not the hardened, battle-worn kunoichi she will become. He knows that same strength lies within her, but for now she is still young, unprepared, and naive. For a moment, he misses the woman of his time who had dropped her affections for him and treated him as a brother, confidant. He could use her wisdom and kindness, maybe some of her tough love, too, because he feels he is wallowing more than he is actually changing things yet. A movement catches Sasuke's onyx eyes down the path though, and he chuckles at the good timing.

"You would do well to give Naruto a break," Sasuke said, finally, gesturing his head towards the bright orange figure headed their way. He hopes his Sakura can see this, hopes she is proud of the path he's chosen to right the wrongs he has committed. The younger girl turns in the direction Sasuke is looking, a pensive frown touching her lips as she thinks. "He's always been on your side, always will be. He is as much your teammate as Sasuke is." They watch Naruto wave enthusiastically, high above his head, and he begins to run the rest of the way to the bridge. Sasuke watches Sakura, watches the small frown give way to a softer smile, and she lifts a hand to return a small wave. The excitement is clear on Naruto's face, the hope to belong, and Sasuke lifts a hand to wave at the boy as well.

_ It is good to be kind. _


	6. Chapter 6

When Sakura gives Naruto a chance, glancing to Sasuke when she has to bite her tongue from some insult as the blond exclaims something brash, Sasuke can't help the humorous twitch of his lips. It is wildly entertaining to watch the girl roll her eyes–sometimes she and Sasuke rolling them in tandem at the boy's sayings–but as she gives more attention to her teammate, she actually giggles and laughs at a few of Naruto's jokes. The girl seems calmer, still unsure, almost timid, but even in the half an hour or so since she and Sasuke's chat, Sakura seems to have taken the advice to heart. After a while, she even stops looking to him for guidance, to buffer the conversation, and now they sit back against the bridge across from the raven.

It makes him chuckle, too, quirking an eyebrow at the pair, that in the entire time they've been chatting, Naruto hasn't once mentioned a date. Sasuke always had his suspicions that the question was more for attention, acknowledgement, and to be heard by his precious people rather than a real crush. He figures the boy doesn't even know what he wants, what with the poor socialization and neglect before the academy. The way Naruto admires the pink-haired girl is genuine, of course, because Sakura can be strong-willed and fierce and incredibly smart. Sasuke thinks, though, observing Naruto's one thousand watt smile, that he really just craves a semblance of family, not a relationship. The blond probably doesn't know how to let anyone in, to let anyone see more than his goofy grin, so Sasuke hopes that maybe this new friendship will help Naruto relax. To feel like he belongs, and will be safe.

Naruto, for whatever reason, seems especially wary of the older raven. Sasuke can't blame him though; if the actions of his younger self are all the blond knows of Sasuke's behavior, it makes sense for the genin to give the man a wide berth. After all, Sasuke has yet to give Naruto a reason to trust him. He hopes the blond can warm up to him. He hopes it won't take long.

"Sasuke-kun?" The raven opens his eyes, pulled from his musings at Sakura's call. Facing her, he hums an acknowledgement for her to continue. "Where's, well, Sasuke-kun?" The man smirks at her, the confusion funny to him, but before Sasuke can tell her he'll probably be late for training, Naruto explodes in full dramatics.

"Ma! That's going to be so confusing! Sasuke _this, _Sasuke _that! _" the blond huffs, blowing at a tuft of hair that had fallen over his headband, then crosses his arms over his chest. He pouts for a moment, then a sly grin crosses over his face. "Maybe we can call our teme 'Suke," he begins, then Sakura interrupts.

"That's so girly for Sasuke!"

"Yeah, well, because he _looks _like a girl," Naruto sasses back, and the green-eyed kunoichi glares back at him before her eyes widen when she catches sight of something behind her teammate.

"You can _not _call me 'Suke," the newly arrived black-haired genin growls, his sour mood worsening already. Naruto narrows his eyes in challenge, knowing he's pressing the right buttons. Sasuke is surprised at how easily Naruto can read his younger self at this point, and his eyes are alight with mirth as he watches their interaction. _We never change, do we? _

"How about Sasu-chan instead, teme?" Naruto taunts and rises to glare in his teammate's face. Heat floods the young raven's cheeks, embarrassed, and the older Sasuke chances a glance towards Sakura. She's already looking back at him, nervous and pleading with her eyes for Sasuke to step in, but he only shoots over a roll of his eyes and a wink. At first, she is shocked, then covers her growing incredulous smile with her hands. The teenage boys are absolutely ridiculous in their squabbling, but his younger counterpart looks about ready to lash out at Naruto.

"Either of the names are fine with me, Naruto, or just Sas," he interjects, and the boys spin around as if they had forgotten their newly appointed sensei was there. "Though I would appreciate if you dropped the suffix, as pretty as you think I am," Sasuke finishes, and the deadpan delivery has Sakura rolling with laughter at the boys. The two young shinobi turn a vibrant red, glaring first at Sasuke, then each other, and finally at Sakura who can barely reign in her giggling. The scene is exactly what the raven man had wanted for his own team, and the atmosphere has him chuckling at the boys' behavior as well.

The sound doesn't go unnoticed by the others in the group, who turn to stare at him, Naruto and Sakura open-mouthed.

"Did you just… laugh?" Sakura inquires. Sasuke merely rolls his eyes, teasing, before answering.

"I can be fun, too."

Naruto was the first to regain his composure, once more narrowing his eyes in the elder's direction. "I think I liked you better when you weren't funny." And the comment–_ nearly _–has a smile spreading across Sasuke's face as the team cultivates a lighter atmosphere.

* * *

The joking earlier has seemed to have an effect even on the young Uchiha, who has ceased glaring at his older counterpart, at least for the most part since the beginning of training. The boy doesn't seem to necessarily like him yet, an odd conundrum to be in, but Sasuke is no longer openly hostile. Naruto has flipped a near one-eighty, and the entire time before training the blond threw a few jests and taunts to the elder Sasuke–his way of accepting the raven into their mish-mashed group. It did look, at times, that he had something more to ask, but Sasuke knew better than to pry, especially when it appeared that the subject was sensitive around the other members of the team. Logging it away for later, Sasuke had stood moments before Kakashi appeared by the group, finally letting training begin.

The time has passed with ease, Sasuke notes as he watches them train, and the sun passes the noon mark. So far, the raven has only sat beneath the shade of a large tree, sitting on the sidelines as he remembers how these early days had passed. He's still not entirely sure when he is in their old timeline, the days having bled together and moved fast, so he assesses their skills from afar rather than stepping into training immediately. Sasuke uses the excuse that the wound he came in with is still stinging, painful, though he has near full use of his arm again and the tightness is never bothersome. It's an easy excuse to quit the nagging of the children who demand that he spar–_ c'mon Sas, you gotta show us what cool jutsus you know!; I bet you're so strong!; Are you strong enough? _He is glad to avoid the complications that come with answering the questions when Kakashi notices his bluff, but calls off the wolves in any case. They trained with Sasuke's watchman-like stare all day.

The sun is brutal, though, and even sitting stagnant, the sweat gathers and falls between the blades of his shoulders and Sasuke shifts to rid himself of the feeling. It seems the other jonin is tired of the baking heat, so he raises a hand to gather the students' attention. Pausing the chakra exercises, the team waits for Kakashi's dismissal–always brief, jarring, and then the silver-haired man is gone with nothing more than his signature wave.

Naruto groans the loudest. "I could train all day!"

"Then you do that, Naruto. It's way too hot today," Sakura huffs–sans insult, even if her tone is exasperated. Sasuke will take the improvement at face value. The younger Uchiha adds nothing to the conversation, but the layer of sweat has made the fringes of his hair plaster to his temples, and Sasuke notices the signs of fatigue and frustration.

"Good day of training, ne?" he asks the team as they trudge towards his location. Naruto and Sakura just groan, and as he flops to the grass near the man, Naruto complains.

"Gah, I feel like we're not doing anything but training and chores!" The boy lays his arms above his head, basking in the shade for the first time since that morning. Blowing a tuft of hair out of his eyes, Naruto says what his other teammates are thinking. "I'm so tired of all these D-rank missions, we're ready for something more than just pulling weeds and catching cats."

_Ah, so here's where we are, _Sasuke realizes, and takes in the conversation amusedly. The coming week will be an adventure.

Though it is positive the other genin agreed with Naruto's statement, Sakura still voices her doubts. "Maybe, but the Hokage will give us higher ranking missions when he thinks it's the right time."

"The old man doesn't know anything about how hard we've worked!" Naruto complains once more.

"Perhaps," Sasuke interrupts, and the genin stop to focus on the man's words, "You could ask the Hokage for a C-rank. He might listen to you." The answering grin on Naruto's face makes Sasuke absolutely positive he knows where he is in his timeline.

"Oh man, you're so right!" the blond exclaims, and he spins on his heel to face the pink-haired girl. "Tomorrow, we should totally tell the Hokage what we think! Kakashi-sensei said that we might get another mission so we could all tell him that we're ready for something bigger!" He finishes his rant facing the younger raven, whose eyes are narrowed in slits as he thinks through Naruto's proposition. The young boy faces his elder.

"Do you really think he'll listen? That he won't just see us as children?"

Sasuke mulls the question over for a moment before responding. "But you three aren't really children anymore, are you? You are shinobi. Whether or not Hokage-sama wishes that to be true is unimportant–you are all ninja now, and after what I've seen I think you don't need to be pulling any more weeds," he explains, and the genin looks as if they are actually digesting his words. Maybe teaching is easier than he thought. Maybe he likes it a little more than he thought too. When no one speaks up, mirrored images of pinched brows and pursed lips, Sasuke finishes his advice. "If you never ask, the answer will always be no. If you feel there are no opportunities in front of you, make one."

Sakura's eyes light up, shining with determination, and Sasuke knows that comes from her drive to prove herself–not just to Sasuke, or her team, but to everyone who told her she would never make it as a ninja. Coming from civilian parents, he knows that she has faced resistance on all fronts from the beginning. Her parents never believed she would graduate, let alone be assigned a team and tasked with missions. Their disapproval hurts her, though Sasuke knows it stems from her parents' fear. He hopes she will begin to take the training more seriously, hoping to get better and prove her own worth to herself and those who doubted her. She seems inspired, and Sasuke can't help but think she might even be more formidable this time around. It was something he didn't think was possible, but he can't wait for her to prove him wrong, too.

The team takes his proclamation as a dismissal, and they begin to collect their few things and chat amongst themselves–well, Naruto and Sakura do, though the raven is at least still glancing between them, uninvolved with his team. There isn't much else for him to do with them today, so Sasuke bids them farewell with the excuse that he needs to head to the market. As Sasuke turns to leave towards the town center, his younger self begins the walk back to the Uchiha manor, Sakura watching his back only for a moment before she marches towards her own home, her face resolute. Naruto pauses, unsure, and the same wavering is present in the blue eyes that Sasuke had seen earlier. He won't push the boy, never been his style or method, so the raven merely takes his own leave towards the market. It only takes a few paces before footsteps jostle the gravel on the path behind him, blond head popping up beside Sasuke once more.

Neither says anything, though the silence grows uncomfortable fast for the genin. His fidgeting is distracting as they walk, side by side, and the way Naruto glances up at him, then forward and back is awkward, but still he doesn't talk and Sasuke will not ask. He would have to get used to silences at some point, so Sasuke decides the personal training can start now.

They make it all the way to the main street before Naurto's steps falter. He knows the boy is wary of the crowds, the people and their unwarranted prejudice, eyes and whispers following him through the town. He knows the bravado from Naruto is all just so he can avoid feeling the things he does from his own home, his fellow citizens, his people. So when Naruto's steps become so small that he's moving at a snail's pace, Sasuke matches him, strolling. Then when he stops, Sasuke does the same, and he hopes Naruto understands, consciously or otherwise, _it's okay, I'm here. _

Sasuke fixes Naruto with a keen gaze, interested and waiting for his inevitable question. It comes with a few more beats of silence, Naruto's shoe scuffing the dirt as he thinks. "Why are you so angry all the time?" he asks, then clarifies, "I mean younger you. He's just upset everytime I see him, so why are you so angry?"

"I'm not," Sasuke corrects, continuing to walk at a slow pace, though the blond seems to have issue comprehending what his answer means. He can see the responses and questions rolling in the blue eyes, so Sasuke adds, "Are you happy all the time?" The question stalls Naruto's thinking and his steps, so he has to jog to match Sasuke's strides again–he didn't bother slowing this time for the genin to catch up.

"No one's happy all the time."

"Okay," Sasuke concedes the point, then rephrases. "Are you ever happy, Naruto?"

Naruto hesitates and he looks conflicted, cautious as he continues. "Yeah, I am. Like when I'm training, or with the team, or with Iruka-sensei when he takes me out for food–"

"Why are you happy in these moments?"

The blond purses his lips. "I like when I spend time with my precious people and…

"And?"

"I like when they see me."

Sasuke nods slowly. Naruto seems to realize what he's said and he rubs the back of his neck with his hand.

"Is that why you act the way you do?"

Naruto fixes him with a glare. "What's that supposed to mean, asshole, I thought we were talking about _you _–"

Sasuke interrupts like Naruto said nothing. "You don't need to make people notice you, Naruto. They already do." Sasuke stops at a crossroads, the path forward leading into the heart of town and the other back towards the genin's small apartment. Naruto stares up at Sasuke, an out of place pensiveness clouding his features. "You may not see it now, but you already have people who care for you. Be yourself, and they will flock to you."

"But," Naruto's voice is small and very much unlike his boisterous persona. "What if people don't like me?"

"Not everyone will." Sasuke reaches forward and ruffles Naruto's hair. The indignant expression tossed back to Sasuke makes him smile faintly. "But plenty more will. And those are the people who matter. Don't waste your time on people who won't spare you a glance. One day they'll see what they missed."

Naruto's face betrays just how young he is, lost and lonely. Sasuke's heart clenches in response and he aches for his own blond. "Is there anything else you need, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto shakes his head, but says, "You never answered me about Sasuke."

He huffs a laugh, turning towards the main town center. "You should ask him yourself. Did you ever try that?"

The blush across Naruto's face makes Sasuke hide a grin at the useless embarrassment. As Sasuke tosses the blond a wave, he marches down the path, not giving the blond any more opportunity to yell after him, and Sasuke drifts in thought. Not that they had grown much now, but the younger versions of Naruto and himself are much more emotionally challenged than Sasuke even remembered. Something about it is endearing and calming to be back in these simpler times.

Darker thoughts soon cloud the wistfulness–all of this starts to unravel much sooner than Sasuke would like. With a heavy sigh, he notes that something of a plan needs to start happening. The Hokage is letting him stay in return for some information and help, and yet Sasuke feels like he has done nothing. A soft, sinister voice interjects with doubts–_ is he here? Is he alive? Is he trying to find me? _Sasuke knows it's all of these things that occupy him, make him procrastinate and hesitate because part of him doesn't want to know the answer to the questions. He doesn't want to give up hope.

The market comes into view, stalls beginning to pack up as evening comes. Sasuke only needs to grab enough food for another day before their mission, then stops once more at a flower shop. He buys seeds, all different kinds, before the stand closes for the day. All the while, Sasuke plans what he will say to the Hokage tomorrow, his mind made up. He's here to find Naruto, dammit, and he will. The mission he knows the old man will give the team is his perfect opportunity to start looking.


End file.
